Following the conclusion of Bilal Kayed’s hunger strike on 24 August, his family and comrades – and Bilal himself – urged that international attention remain on the issue of administrative detention and in particular on the four Palestinian prisoners currently on hunger strike in protest of their administrative detention without charge or trial.

Mahmoud al-Balboul, 21, launched his hunget strike on 1 July. Imprisoned alongside his brother Mohammed since 9 June, both are held under administrative detention without charge or trial. Mahmoud and Mohammed were arrested in a violent pre-dawn raid on their home following the imprisonment of their younger sister, Nuran, 15, on 12 April. She was released in June after 3 months of imprisonment after having a verbal altercation with an Israeli occupation soldier at a checkpoint; she was then accused of possessing a knife, despite a lack of evidence.

Mahmoud, Mohammed and Nuran are the children of Sanaa al-Balboul and her husband Ahmad; Ahmad al-Balboul was assassinated by Israeli occupation forces on 18 March 2008 and accused of being a Fateh military leader.

Mohammed al-Balboul, 26, Mahmoud’s brother and a dentist in Jenin, joined the hunger strike on 4 July. He was held for a year in administrative detention nearly 10 years ago; after his release, he studied dentistry in Egypt before returning to Palestine to open his dental clinic.

Mahmoud and Mohammed are currently both held at the Assaf Harofeh hospital after 56 and 52 days of hunger strike, respectively; their medical situation has intensified in the previous days as Mohammed was transferred from the Ramle prison clinic to join his brother.

Ayed Heraimi, 23, and Malik al-Qadi, 20, joined the hunger strike on 16 July, protesting their own administrative detention without charge or trial. Hereimi was arrested on 23 December 2015, soon after he was released from three years imprisonment. Al-Qadi was arrested on 22 May 2016. Both face an appeals hearing in the Israeli Supreme Court on 30 August in which they are demanding an an end to the administrative detention order against them. Both were transferred to the Assaf Harofeh hospital on 23 August following the deterioration of your health condition.

In addition, on 23 August, it was reported that Tawfiq Faisal Nazzal, 30, of Qabatiya was re-arrested frm a checkpoint the same day he was released from Ketziot Negev prison from an 8-month sentence, only to be ordered to three months in administrative detention without charge or trial. Nazzal’s two brothers are also imprisoned: his brother Mohammed is serving a 15-year sentence and Majid has been held at Jalameh interrogation center for 55 days.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network echoes the call of Bilal Kayed’s family to escalate international solidarity with the hunger striking prisoners and with all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails with protests, events and actions and through escalating the boycott campaign against the Israeli state and complicit institutions and corporations, including G4S.